'Tis the Season
Of Sin at Honda

By

Holman W. Jenkins Jr.

Updated Dec. 17, 1996 12:01 a.m. ET

In the early 1980s, all anybody wanted was a Honda Accord. It was a road to riches, except for one dealer in the Northeast, who found the factory rep wouldn't supply him enough cars. The dealer was going bust and holding $300,000 in deposits for customers who would be lucky to see their cars in a year.

One afternoon a prosperous competitor stopped by and asked him to name his price, so the beleaguered dealer (who has a health interest...